The National Testing Agency (NTA) has officially canceled the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) 2026, impacting more than 22 lakh students who appeared for the exam on May 3. This decision comes amidst a major controversy over an alleged question paper leak that circulated widely before the examination.
WhatsApp Message Sparked Alarm
The alleged leak began with a WhatsApp message sent on the evening of May 2, just hours before the exam. An MBBS student in Kerala reportedly forwarded 300 “guess paper” questions to his father in Sikar, Rajasthan, with instructions to distribute them to students at a local PG hostel. The father, who operated the hostel, distributed these papers the following morning.
Uncovering the Scale of the Leak
The gravity of the situation became clear only after the exam. The hostel operator took the circulated papers to a teacher at a nearby coaching institute. A methodical check revealed a startling match: all 90 Biology questions and all 45 Chemistry questions from the NEET exam were present in the guess papers. Notably, the Chemistry questions appeared in an unbroken sequence without any alteration to punctuation. In total, 135 out of NEET’s 180 questions, each carrying four marks, were allegedly found in the circulated material.
Initial Rejection and Escalation to CBI
Initially, when the hostel operator approached the Rajasthan Police at Udyog Nagar station in Sikar, he was reportedly turned away and told not to spread rumors. Undeterred, he took the information directly to the National Testing Agency. The NTA then alerted the Central Intelligence Bureau (CBI), which subsequently involved the Rajasthan Police's State Special Operations Group (SOG). The SOG has since launched an investigation.
Tracing the Leak's Origin and Reach
Investigators believe the leak did not originate from the NTA's internal system. Instead, initial findings suggest the question paper may have been compromised either at the printing press, reportedly located in Jaipur, or by individuals involved in setting the paper. Evidence indicates that the “guess paper” had already reached a counsellor's mobile phone by April 29, four days before the examination. The papers are thought to have circulated across several cities including Jaipur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Dehradun, and Kerala, with reports of them being sold for as much as Rs 30 lakh.
Detentions and Ongoing Uncertainty
Approximately 15 individuals from various locations, including Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, and Dehradun, have been detained in connection with the alleged procurement and distribution of the papers. Among those taken into custody are Rakesh Kumar Mandawariya, a counsellor from Sikar accused of sending the papers to the Kerala MBBS student, along with Avinash Lamba and Manish Yadav from Jaipur. As of now, the SOG has not yet registered a formal case. NTA officials and independent experts are still assessing whether the incident meets the official threshold for classification as a “paper leak,” leaving the future of the affected students in a state of uncertainty.